Silent Partnership
by Nasir
Summary: NejixShika. After a lack of missions in Konoha, the younger ninjas are paired up and given fake missions to get them experience in battle. These partnerships force many ninjas to learn to tolerate and even respect their partners. Who better to partner up?
1. Chapter 1

Silent Partnership

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto…

Clouds are nice. Another day without training is nice. Most of all, being away from Ino, Chouji, and Asuma is something much better than nice. It wasn't that Shikamaru had a problem with them, he just was a believer in isolation. The lazy ninja finally escaped from the responsibilities of Konoha and lay in his usual field. Spread out in the lush grass, he looked up at the sky and the clouds. He always liked to admire the clouds. In his mind, they had everything he wanted. All the clouds had to do was float, not really putting a lot of effort into being something else or becoming something…they just went along the sky. What more could you ask for? However, the clouds aren't important. The future events that soon occur to the laziest ninja in Konoha are. This is how it all began.

Much to Shikamaru's delight though he didn't express it, Asuma had nothing for the group to do. As soon as that was known, he was nowhere to be found. As usual, Shikamaru was laid out in his favorite spot looking up at the clouds for a while then dozing off for a while. It was the most fun he had all day. Awkwardly enough, someone else was soon near Shikamaru's spot. That person, even more out of the ordinary, was Neji.

"Shikamaru? You're my training partner." Neji stated plainly, tossing a packet on Shikamaru's chest.

The lazy ninja picked up the paper and read it. Apparently a lot of the genin didn't have any assignments. Instead of finding assignments for the groups, the Jounins and the advisors felt that they could easily create fake missions to train the younger ninjas and give them experience. Shikamaru's expression changed to a frown. Judging from Neji's expression, he wasn't any happier.

"So basically we have to train together and we have missions to do together?" Shikamaru muttered, looking up at Neji.

"You don't have to do anything. I don't need anyone to train with me. Someone inferior to me wouldn't bring about any improvement in my abilities." Neji replied in all seriousness.

The words didn't really elicit any kind of reaction from Shikamaru. He shrugged slightly then closed his eyes.

"What could be so interesting about some clouds that make you waste time here?" Neji asked a little offended that Shikamaru barely acknowledged his presence.

"Doing anything else is troublesome." He responded back, his eyes still closed.

Neji shook his head and walked off in smooth confident strides towards the village.

Shikamaru looked briefly at Neji as he left. This would definitely prove to be troublesome. He couldn't..not.. train with him after all. If he did that, Asuma would somehow find out and that would be troublesome for him. After a while of just sitting idly in the field, Shikamaru headed back home.

Shikamaru woke up and all the things he had to do, rushed into his head. Just the thought of how much effort he would have to put forth made him cringe. Why did he have to get such an…active partner? All of their training times were already on the paper so Shikamaru got dressed and headed to their designated area.

Neji was standing there seeming to be waiting for Shikamaru to be considered a no-show so he could begin his solo training. They had been assigned to a deserted area in the forest for their training. As soon as Neji was about to start training Shikamaru, in his usual attire, slowly walked toward the young Hyuuga with his hands in his pockets.

No words were exchanged. They both stood a good distance from each other.

Suddenly, Neji's voice broke the silence, "Why did you show up? Your presence is hindering my training. Fighting someone who has no chance of winning is pointless." He said emotionlessly though he meant every word.

Nonetheless, Shikamaru stayed and the training began. What started out as training, became Neji trying to punish Shikamaru and prove that the lazy ninja had no business. Shikamaru played right into Neji's idea of him, taking a few hits and appearing very weak.

"You can barely stand. If I hit any more of your Chakra holes, you will surely lose." Neji gloated, enjoying his impending victory. Just as he was about to go in for the kill, Shikamaru was nowhere to be found. Neji immediately spotted him with his Byukagan. He charged at Shikamaru and was about to end the match when he stopped short. He looked around frantically, "What's going on?" he said, upset over the smirk on Shikamaru's face.

"Shadow bind." Shikamaru muttered nonchalantly. He turned his back to Neji and started to walk away. The bind on the Hyuuga vanished and he was left standing there. Obviously he had just lost to the laziest ninja but Shikamaru didn't have the decency to even end the match. Neji was fuming.

Shikamaru knew that may never happen again that easily since Neji wouldn't underestimate his ability again.

Shikamaru sat at home, doing nothing when he heard a knock.

The ninja went to the door and opened it.

"How did I not see that with my Byakugan?"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Thanks for the reviews people. This was kind of an experimental kind of thing but it was pretty fun to write so I'll continue and see what happens. Anyways…on to chapter 2.

"What are you talking about?" Shikamaru asked with a raised eyebrow.

Neji frowned, still standing at Shikamaru's door, "You know I mean. While we were training…" he said staring at Shikamaru, waiting for his answer.

Shikamaru shrugged, "How would I know? Byakugan is your thing. You should know why you didn't see me." He muttered, leaning against the door frame.

Neji stared at the lazy ninja coldly for a moment before he turned his back and stalked away.

Shikamaru snorted and brushed the incident off. He was sure Neji would figure out that he saw him. It was just a little mind game the ninja had played on Neji that made him second guess what he saw…which was enough time for Shikamaru to get his move in. It was pretty simple…well..to Shikamaru it was simple.

The next couple of days of training were uneventful. Shikamaru would show up. They would fight and Shikamaru would quit much to Neji's displeasure.

Shikamaru sighed as he walked to the training field. This was really getting old to him. It was troublesome of them to assign partners and not even give any missions to atleast remove him from this monotonous training. When Shikamaru got to the field, things already were different. Standing as spectators were Gai and Asuma, and of course Neji was already there waiting. Even with them there, Shikamaru still didn't want to train.

The fighting started and they fought as they usually did. This time, Shikamaru seemed to be putting some effort and was giving Neji a lot of problems. After a while, the lazy ninja seemed to just give up and take a few blows so he could quit.

Asuma frowned as Shikamaru obviously threw the fight and he mumbled something to Gai. They both stepped forward stopping the two from leaving. Asuma looked at Shikamaru with a little disappointment before he spoke, "We have a mission for you two."

Shikamaru lay in bed, looking smugly up at the ceiling. "A rescue mission…how troublesome." He mumbled. He didn't want to have to protect someone. Then again, any mission he got he would have felt the same way. Atleast he knew this mission wasn't real.

Shikamaru and Neji met and again…no words were exchanged. This was all about the mission. Neither of them wanted to be there especially with each other but that was the rule.

….The mission was a huge failure. The hostage was rescued but everything else was horrendous. Shikamaru did as little work as he could, not telling anything he saw to aid the team. Neji was trying to do the mission without Shikamaru's help to show how useless Shikamaru was to him. As a team, they ran into every trap Asuma and Gai set up. They refused to aid each other when some ninjas were introdced towards the end of the mission. It was a total failure.

Asuma and Gai were more than crushed that their prized students performed so poorly.

Gai began first as he looked at the two battered and bruised ninjas, "That was the worst accomplished mission I've ever seen." He said with a look of disappointment.

"You two have no concept of teamwork" Asuma added with an equal look that contained a bit of overall frustration.

"You must learn to trust each other." He said rubbing his forehead. "You two go home and met us here tomorrow at the same time."

The two boys returned the next day. Gai and Asume stood in the same place as before with very serious expressions. "You two have a new mission…."

((Sorry it's so short. I was going to continue but I was going to change things up on the next chapter.Hope you liked it somewhat. Reviews are always appreciated. I'm always open to suggestions.))


	3. Chapter 3

It took me a little while to figure out how I wanted to approach this. Hope you enjoy what I got going on in this one. Again, thanks for the reviews and all opinions are appreciated.

Chapter 3

"What the hell happened?"

Asuma couldn't believe what he was looking at. Neji stood before Asuma bloody and almost having no chakra in his body. On Neji's back was an unconscious Shikamaru in worse condition than Neji. The Hyuuga held a guilty look on his face, unable to look at the Jounin. Asuma didn't say anything. He just got the boys to the hospital for treatment.

Once Neji was taken care of and stabilized, the Jounin went into his room to find out what was going on. Shikamaru was still out of it so he couldn't get the information from him.

"Neji?"

The Hyuuga looked up at the door. He didn't react. He just looked at the man with a blank expression on his face.

"Can you tell me what happen now?"

Flashback

The mission was simple. That's what they both thought. Go to someplace, get some thing, and bring it back. Nothing easier than that.

Shikamaru and Neji started out as soon as they received the mission details. They stood at the edge of Konoha and looked how far they were traveling.

They were traveling through a major amount of woodland area which was a breeding ground for traps, ambushes, and sneak attacks. They both realized this somewhat but neither of them made a comment about it to the other.

In fact, there was complete silence between them.

After a bit of walking, Neji started to pick up on some traps yet he didn't say anything to Shikamaru since Shikamaru was pretty much a waste of space to him. The other ninja was only here because it was a two-man mission. Nothing more.

Trusting that Neji was guiding them away from the traps, Shikamaru focused on other things…until he ran across a seal on a tree. There was an explosion. Both went flying. No serious damaged was done.

"You are useless. There was obviously a trap there…Go back to Konoha. You're only slowing me down. I could have completed this mission already if you were not here."

With that, Neji walked away from Shikamaru. Shikamaru let out a sigh and kept walking.

Neji, after a bit of walking, was nowhere near Shikamaru and was pretty much alone on this mission. As if on cue, "Where's your partner? This might have actually been fun if it were two of you. You have no chance on your own."

Neji looked about for the voice in the trees and saw that he was thoroughly surrounded. He frowned, and got into his fighting stance. How dare they underestimate him! He was a Hyuuga after all.

Shikamaru walked through the woods, slowly trying to catch any traps that might be planted. The lazy ninja frowned when he heard a sizzle nearby. That could only mean another explosion. He jumped away and this only began an endless chain of traps complete with explosions, snares, flying kunai, spiked areas

Neji was much more powerful than all of these ninjas but they were so many that it almost made power irrelevant. The Hyuuga fought them off to the best of his ability using his kunai and everything else he had at his disposal. Neji wasn't able to systematically take down his enemy like he enjoyed, he had to just fight it out. The numbers started to overwhelm Neji and he soon found himself cornered by the enemy. He was in pain but still had too much fight to just give up. Like a cornered rat with no options, Neji lashed out in a blind rage, punching and kicking at blinding speeds. The fight was over and Neji had come out victorious. The problem was that…he was barely able to move. All parts of his body were in pain and he would not be able to complete the mission. He had to find Shikamaru after all. The Hyuuga altered his path a bit so he would hopefully run into Shikamaru before they reached the location of the scroll they were to obtain.

Shikamaru jumped and avoided the blasts, only getting caught by a few flying shards from explosions or a few cuts from flying kunai. "Shikamaru!"

Neji could see the lazy ninja jumping from tree to tree and had called out to him to get his attention.

Unfortunately, that one momentary distraction was enough to get Shikamaru tossed from the top of a tree into a large boulder. Needless to say, Shikamaru was out of it. Neji stood stunned. He just watched that happen. There was nothing he could do. The Hyuuga felt something he hadn't felt in a long time. He felt guilty. He felt responsible. He…caused Shikamaru to get hurt and he caused himself to get hurt.

End of Flashback

"Neji. What happened?"

"We split up. I got ambushed and Shikamaru was caught in a lot of traps."

Asuma looked at the Hyuuga for a moment. "Why did you split up? The difficulty of this mission was fairly high. That's why we trusted you two with this mission. We felt you two would work out your difference and accomplish the mission."

A nurse walked in just as Asuma finished speaking, "Nara Shikamaru just regained consciousness. You may see him if you would like."

At that point, Neji didn't even want to face Shikamaru. Knowing he basically caused those injuries…he couldn't face him.

Asuma got up, "If you want to go see him, you can. Your injuries were taken care of and you aren't forced to stay in bed."

Neji didn't respond.

The Jounin started to walk out of the room.

"Will he be upset with me?"

Asuma stopped in the doorway and looked back to Neji. The man smiled and started to chuckle gruffly.

"Shikamaru? No. You obviously haven't been his partner long enough."

Neji wasn't sure what Asuma meant. He would be upset with a guy who almost got him killed. Why wouldn't Shikamaru?

After a while of just sitting in bed, Neji decided he might as well go see Shikamaru instead of just thinking about what would happen when he first saw him. The Hyuuga gave Asuma enough time to leave Shikamaru's room before he went to Shikamaru's room and knocked.

"Eh? Come in."

Neji opened the door apprehensively and walked in.

"…Hey."

There ya go. One more chapter. Not too long but if I kept going…where would the suspense be? Exactly. Thanks for the reviews. Hope everyone keeps reading. I'll try to get those two together some kind of way. They're kinda stubborn…well…Neji's stubborn…and Shikamaru just doesn't care…about anything. Anyways, it should be a little more interesting next chapter. Till then.


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you everybody for the reviews. Took me long enough to get to the next chapter. I had an idea on how to get Shikamaru and Neji together in the beginning of this...but now I don't like it as much so I'm going with another idea. Hope it isn't bad. Those two are harder to get together than I thought. By the way, Neji is the seme at this point. I don't think I could have Shikamaru dominating Neji ever...well maybe...but not now.

Shikamaru was laying in bed staring absently out of the window. He had a perfect view from his window. A river, a forest, the sky….he could see it all from his position in the bed and the lazy ninja seemed to enjoy it. He tore his eyes away briefly to see who was at the door. Neji.

"Hey." He responded, pushing himself up. As he moved up, his bandages came into view and Neji winced.

The Hyuuga stood in silence for a moment.

"Are you going to sit down?"

Neji blinked before he nodded at took a seat and fell into another awkward silence. He just didn't know what to say to Shikamaru. He was the cause of his injuries…his pain. What could he really say to atone for his foolishness? "How are you feeling?" he finally managed to say, looking up at Shikamaru.

"Could be worse. A little sore, that's all. I'll be out of here tomorrow." The lazy ninja muttered, yawning a bit. He didn't seem angry with Neji at all.

Neji looked at Shikamaru for a moment, he couldn't believe that Shikamaru held no animosity toward him. "Are you not angry for what happened?" the Hyuuga finally asked, his mind whirling from Shikamaru's odd attitude. It didn't make sense to him.

"Eh? Angry? Too troublesome. It probably won't happen again…unless you still want to treat me like your rival." The younger ninja said with yet another yawn.

Those words silenced Neji. He looked down for a moment, thinking. "Fine." He said after a bit of silence. He didn't need to compete with Shikamaru.

The Hyuuga studied the other ninja's face briefly as he thought of what he could say next.

"Hey. Asuma said we have another mission once we both are 100. We have to do it successfully or he may never leave me alone." Shikamaru muttered as he saw Neji had no idea what to say. They were both terrible conversationalists.

Just then, Shikamaru's door burst open and a blonde, orange wearing teen ran into the room. "Shikamaru! Baka! I heard you got beat up on your mission! Chouji and I came to cheer you up." The larger ninja came in with a basket of fruit for Shikamaru. "Here you go, Shikamaru. All that vitamin C should make you feel better." He said drawing out himself a bag of chips to munch on.

"I'll be going…" Neji suddenly said, walking out of the room before Naruto could question him.

The next day, Shikamaru slept in the hospital as much as possible, thankful that rest was all he had to do.

Later on that day, Neji finished his solo training and felt the need to visit his partner, chalking the feeling up to guilt. He walked to Shikamaru's door and was about to knock when he heard voices. He opened the door a bit to peek in and saw a girl with long blonde hair sitting beside Shikamaru's bed. Neji watched them for a moment before closing the door again. He didn't leave however. He leaned against the door, eavesdropping on the conversation.

"Geez, Shikamaru. You really let your laziness catch up with you…getting put in the hospital and all."

"Whatever…"

"Seriously, I'm afraid you're going to really get yourself hurt if you don't put in some effort every now and then."

"Too troublesome."

"…How are you feeling?"

"Just a little sore. Nothing to be concerned about."

"I have to get back home. I'll see you soon."

With that, Ino stood up and headed to the door. She opened it to see Neji looking back at her. She jumped a bit and he frowned. He wordlessly moved past her and into Shikamaru's room.

Shikamaru had a vase of flowers at his bed but he didn't look too happy. In fact, he looked just like he usually did. Bored and Sleepy.

"She was on my team with Chouji from before." Shikamaru said before Neji had a chance to ask.

"Aren't you supposed to be checking out of this place?" Neji said, figuring that Shikamaru would most likely wait to the very last possible moment before he decided to check out. He was a very lazy kid.

"Eh? I am. I'm just not going to yet."

"Oh. I came to see if you had gone yet." Neji said before standing up once again. "I'll go ahead then."

Shikamaru would have said that he didn't have to leave. He thought about saying it but…if Neji stayed…what would they talk about? They barely talked at all.

With that, the Hyuuga left the room.

Neji waited patiently at the designated training area. He knew Shikamaru would show up…he would show up at the last possible moment and still want to do nothing.

When Shikamaru showed up, Neji immediately noticed something about Shikamaru's form. His face was a little redder than before…almost like a bruise. Neji chalked it up to not being his business.

"Let's start then."

Instead really fighting each other, they mostly tried to understand the other's style of fighting among other things. They had to know the other person to be able to be effective partners, after all.

Neji stopped fighting and gawked at Shikamaru.

The Hyuuga had hit Shikamaru and his jacket came off, leaving him in just his mesh shirt.

"What happened to you!" Neji asked questioningly. There were bruises…bruises on his back….on his chest…on his arms.

"Nothing." Shikamaru responded back, putting on his jacket.

Though he was a little concerned, Neji dropped the subject. "Training is over."

"Asuma sent me the details of our next mission. I'll let you read it. It's at my house."

Shikamaru led the young Hyuuga back to his place and brought him inside. He walked upstairs to his room and Neji waited patiently. It took Shikamaru longer than Neji expected. Once the lazy ninja came back down the stairs, Neji's eyes widened and he grabbed Shikamaru's wrist. "You are coming with me." He said tugging the teen out of the house towards his own home. "You will be staying at my house."

That's it. I'll get to my next chapter as soon as I can. I won't wait as long as I did for this one.


	5. Chapter 5

**Shikamaru's POV**

I saw the horrified look in Neji's eyes as I came back downstairs and knew my appearance must have drastically changed. What I didn't expect was for Neji to react the way he did. I waited for Neji's words. Momentarily, my lazy expression fell and I know I looked surprise…I mean…I was surprise. Stay with him? Was he serious? That question was answered quickly as I was ushered out of my own house and all the way to the Hyuuga mansion. I looked at the building and everywhere else absently before I was shoved inside. Frankly, I wasn't paying Neji any attention at that point. I didn't even know what the big deal was. I was sore…I can admit that but I didn't need to be dragged out of my house over it.

"Are you going to tell me what happened?" Neji asked out of nowhere.

"I don't know what you mean." That was a lie. I knew what he meant. I'm sure he knew that I knew as well since his expression turned into a deeper frown. He suddenly jerked me around again and put me in front of a mirror. Neji stood beside me and pointed, first, to my face. "Let's start with that."

Upon seeing myself, I knew why Neji seemed so worried. He really did a number on me. Bruises were everywhere. Neji had pointed at my eye which was black and swelling a bit. What could I say? "We did train today." I muttered, still trying to be nonchalant about it. Why did he care anyway? We were just partners…nothing more than that.

"Yes…but at no time did I land an attack that would have done that." Neji said quickly, controlling his temper quite well. It looked like he was pissed off but his tone…didn't quite fit.

I stayed silent for a moment before I went on the attack. Maybe if I went after Neji, he'd just let it go. "Why do you want to know? It's not like you care." That would get him to back off. I was fairly sure Neji wouldn't have a response.

"I can't allow my partner to be injured. Now tell me what happened."

I didn't know what to say. It wasn't…the worst thing to hear but…it definitely said that Neji considered me as his partner. "It's nothing…my dad just spent a bit too much time at the bar…and he and my mom were having problems…and…I made a comment he didn't like. No big deal." I said, looking away from Neji at that point. I knew it was bad and that I couldn't do anything about it but it was still embarrassing.

"Hold still."

I hadn't been paying attention to Neji when I was talking or after. I didn't notice that he had grabbed a salve and was not grabbing my face. He cupped my chin and started to apply the salve around my eye. For a ninja that fought and everything, his hands were pretty soft and he smelled nice, like some kind of exotic flower or something. It was a nice fragrant smell that was somehow still masculine. I was forced to look into his eyes as he held my face still. I didn't even mind looking into his eyes. I made sure I looked uninterested but I did look. To be honest, his eyes looked a lot like clouds to me. With that knew, they obviously held my attention for a while. I didn't even notice when he said…"Done. You'll be staying in the guest room."

I sighed. I didn't want to stay that much but I guess he had a good reason to make me stay. He could just go back home after their mission. "We have a mission tomorrow." I reminded Neji, who only gave a small nod. Since I had a room and I was somewhat tired I went to lay down. Apparently, I fell asleep too.

"Wake up! Shikamaru! Wake up!"

I opened my eyes to see Neji standing over me. He was shaking my shoulders.

I yawned and sat up, "What is it?" I asked

"Our mission begins soon. Get up so we can go."

There ya go. I'm already writing the next chapter. I think it's going to get juicy. Thanks for the reviews. Hope you liked the little change in view. I'm gonna give Neji a chance next.


	6. Chapter 6

Here's my next chapter. Thanks for the reviews. And yeah…I know the story seemed to progress fast but I didn't find most of those events to be too important. Only the whole injury part with them though. I just have to progress things because those two don't seem to have change of hearts overnight. Thanks for the reviews. Things should slow down a bit now. This mission is important.

Chapter 6:

All they had to do was retrieve a nearby village's sacred orb. That seemed simple enough. It was only a C mission which made it seem that much easier. Almost a waste of time in Neji's opinion. With their track record as partners, missions didn't get much more difficult for fear of death.

The team accepted the mission and was already on their way to retrieve the orb. The mission was insanely too easy.

**Neji's POV**

I definitely had something to prove on this mission. This couldn't be another disaster like before. Shikamaru and I were considered too skilled to fail this lowly C mission. I made sure we set off immediately to complete this mission. The village wasn't far so camping thankfully wasn't necessary for us. It would have been awkward to share a tent with Shikamaru. Being around the lazy ninja for too long made me feel odd and I didn't want to experience that…feeling…before our mission. The orb was simple enough to get. We got the information from the village and were able to go straight to where it was being held. Shikamaru and I made quick work of the lowly ninja that protected the orb. They were frankly no match for my Byakugan. Once the orb was in our possession, we headed back to the village to put this mission to rest and prove they were capable as a team. Even Shikamaru seemed to be confident about this…well as confident as he could be.

This is when things took a turn for the worse. As we ventured through the forest, I could have sworn he passed by the same spot several times. I stopped Shikamaru. "Have we not been here?" I asked, looking the lazy ninja over. No response. I asked again and he just looked at me. I finally tried to dispel the illusion we were obviously trapped in. I was not in a forest. I was in a building of some sorts and Shikamaru…had vanished. At some point, he must have been captured. These ninja must have been talented. This mission probably just rose to an A rank. I activated ,y Byakugan and found I was already on the verge of defeat. Several ninja had me surround, each seemed to be around the level of a jounin…way out of my class. Nevertheless, I wasn't about to give up. Hyuuga's didn't give up. I fought long and hard, and at one point I thought I had a chance until each body I worked so hard to defeat became a log of wood. Seeing that really took the life out of me but I still remained in attack position, hand extended in wait. I wasted a lot of energy in fighting them and hadn't truly struck any of them. None of them moved. How insulting. They have the upper-hand and yet they don't attack. My rage blinded me and I found myself lashing out at them. That's all I remember. One charge and everything went back.

"Where is it?"

"Tell me where it is!"

My head hurts. As soon as I open my eyes, I see Shikamaru looking back at me. His face held no expression. He was sitting across from me, tied to a chair. We looked at eachother briefly before my attention was turned to one man. He had a mask on much like Kakashi so I don't know what he really looked like. I'll always remember his black eyes. They lacked all luster…almost lifeless. They sent chills up my spine. No matter how creepy, I stared him down.

"Listen boy, tell me where you stashed the orb and I'll let you go back to your mommy and daddy."

I just continued to glare while Shikamaru seemed to be off into space.

That ninja's temper had to be at his limit because he slammed his hand on the table and clenched his fist. He pointed at Neji, "I saw you. You had the orb last. You will tell me where it is." He yelled walking over to Shikamaru.

"He must be your partner…your traveling companion. Is his life valuable to you?"

Shikamaru looked at me. In silent acceptance and continued to glare at the man.

"He's not valuable I see." The man took Shikamaru chin into his hand and forced Shikamaru to look at him.

"Such a beautiful complexion. Maybe he's more to than just a partner." He said petting Shikamaru's cheek.

I saw Shikamaru frown at the touch but he still didn't waver. Neither did I.

"I see. Still playing nothing huh?"

The Jounin called over to other ninja and smirked.

"Hold this one down. I want that one to see every bit of this." He said as they untied Shikamaru, holding his wrists to prevent any type of seals. The men bent Shikamaru over the table in front of me and I felt a lump build up in my throat. This couldn't be happening.

"You two! Make sure he sees this. Hold his eyes open if you have to."

"Yes sir, Keiji-sensei."

I felt the presence of two people looming behind me as this Keiji started to undress Shikamaru. His mesh shirt was removed and his pants and boxers soon followed. Unfortunately, Neji couldn't even enjoy the view of Shikamaru's body as Keiji dropped his pants as well. "Last chance boy. Save this one and tell me where the orb is. Would you allow him to be raped then killed? Save him."

His words were starting to take their effect. I didn't want this to happen to Shikamaru. I didn't want to let my partner down. He couldn't look at me from his position but he offered no protests so I said nothing.

Keiji smirked at me, "I'm glad you're holding it in. I'm going to enjoy this torture." He said, laughing maniacally. He loomed over Shikamaru for a moment and suddenly.

Shikamaru screamed. He screamed loud. His voice held so much pain. The sound hurt me so, I felt a single tear roll down my left cheek. I tried to shut my eyes and turn away but pairs of hands were quick to keep them focused on the action before him.

More screams. More heart-wrenching screams. I couldn't take it. The Jounin thrusted into Shikamaru roughly…so roughly I could hear the table creaking loudly with each one.

"STOP!" I yelled. My voice sounded so distant in my mind. I didn't even feel like I had control over myself at that point.

"Tell me!"

"Shut up!" Shikamaru's voice. It stunned me. He still didn't want me to tell. My jaw tightened and the screams returned.

I clenched my fists as tight as I could as I was forced to watch my partner get raped. I saw him begin to bleed and yet he still didn't want me to give in for his sake.

I wanted this to stop. I couldn't wath it any longer. It was torture for both of us. Finally the man stopped after he seemed to reach his climax. "I think we can have a little more fun with him before we kill him. You! Your turn. Take him roughly."

He was their toy! A toy for these sick bastards.

Two guy…three guys…they kept coming and Shikamaru kept telling me to shut up.

"Please Shikamaru!" I begged…pleaded with him. He didn't allow it. My jaw clenched again. I wouldn't tell. I would respect his wished. More tears began to fall. I couldn't control them. I didn't want this to happen. My muscles were clenched tightly as I tried to break the binds…something….anything to help Shikamaru. Why….why won't someone stop this. Why can't I stop this? I'm his partner! I have to save him! I can't let him get hurt again. Not with me around again! I care about him too much for that to happen…

There's my next chapter. I haven't quite decided what I'm going to do next chapter…I'll probably have a good idea of things by Saturday. Hope you guys liked it. Please review if you can and thanks for the reviews I already have.


	7. Chapter 7

It took me a while but I finally had an idea as to what I wanted to do with this story. Thanks for the reviews once again. Glad people are reading this.

**Neji's POV**

Darkness. That's all I saw when I opened my eyes. I didn't know where I was. I didn't remember blacking out or anything. Then only thing that ran through my mind was that scene I was forced to watch. I let my eyes rest for a moment and I was soon able to tell I was in a cell. I was laying down on my back on this grimy floor, facing up towards the ceiling. I would have stayed that way if there wasn't a glimmer of hope that my partner was nearby. I was concerned about his condition. It was my fault that it happened, pretty much.

In the cell next to my own, I saw a body on the floor much like my own. He looked to be just sitting up. I moved over to the bars that separated us and whispered, "Shikamaru? Is that you? Are you alright?"

There was a groan and then he saw Shikamaru look back at him. It definitely looked like Shikamaru but something was amiss.

"I'm fine. Just sore…really sore." He grumbled, leaning back against the wall.

"What about you?"

I had let my eyes wander across his body, checking for any additional injuries. Needless to say, his question scared me a bit. Shikamaru wasn't much for small talking…or talking at all really. Too lazy to use his breath was always my guess.

"Fine. I wasn't the one receiving the torture." I added, again looking up over.

"They're coming back. I'm sure they will torture you next to get what they want."

I didn't respond. He knew that. He may not know when but he knew they would come back with a different method.

"Neji, I don't want you to get hurt. You don't have to go through the same treatment as me."

My eyes darted to Shikamaru. What was going on? Shikamaru's voice sounded like he was pleading with him. Like he was concerned…like he…cared?

"Please. Tell me where you hid that stupid orb. We can bargain with them and get out of here."

My eyes narrowed. Shikamaru had to be delusional if he thought that they would just let us go after they got what they wanted. They would surely kill us both.

"Are you insane? They can't be reasoned with. Once they get what they wanted, we are through."

I was a little upset that he would ever suggest that. I couldn't believe that Shikamaru was stooping to just reasoning with the enemy when that would surely not work.

**Shikamaru's POV**

Does he not see it? What's wrong with him?

I sat in the interrogation room, still tied to the chair with tape now over my mouth. I watched silently, looking at Neji in the floor. The illusion was flawless, I will admit that but I was more than sure Neji would catch on that I wasn't the one he was talking to. That was not him.

I desperately tried to make noise to get Neji's attention. I tried wiggling my chair and hitting my foot against the wood but nothing got him. He was too far gone. This would be a great opportunity for us. If we could get free, It would be a two against one. The chances still weren't great but we could possibly get the jump on Keiji and get away.

I silently looked at Neji, hoping maybe he would notice me and just snap out of it. He just hoped Neji wouldn't tell.

**Neji's POV**

"You're right. I don't know where my head is. We can't reason with them."

Even with that answer, I was still skeptical. He was avoiding eye contact with me…in fact, he hadn't looked over here since we started talking. What was his problem?

"What did you do with it, though?"

I raised an eyebrow. I was sure Shikamaru saw where I went with the orb.

"What? After you gave it to me?"

"Yeah."

"Wrong. You didn't give it to me."

Shikamaru looked trapped for a moment before his shook his head.

"Yeah. You're right. I don't know what's gotten into me."

"I don't either…cause you did give it to me."

Shikamaru froze, a frown on his face. He knew Neji had caught him. That's when Shikamaru turned to look at him. Those eyes. The lifeless black eyes. That couldn't be Shikamaru.

"I must be confused. That's all. They gave me something after you blacked out. My thoughts have been chaotic ever since."

I started to look around the room and I felt someone. When I looked ahead, I felt eyes on me. No one was there but I felt it. That feeling…those eyes…they directed me to something. A tear in the illusion. I could see a small bit of the interrogation room.

I stood up on shaky legs, pacing the cell a bit. I knew this was fake but I had to play along for a bit.

"I'm sure. I didn't know what happened after I blacked out. I don't even remember how I blacked out." I confessed trying to by myself more time and lure 'Shikamaru' into a false sense of security. I need to feel out just how much chakra I had.

"I think you were injected with something as well. I just wasn't in much of a position to see." 'Shikamaru responded, turning his head away.

That was the opportunity I was looking for. I started to run towards him, silently. "Dispel."

The illusion disintegrated and I aimed several well-placed hits to several of Keiji's chakra holes.

Keiji hadn't had much time to react so he jumped up and was assaulted by my blows.

Keiji reeled and I took that opportunity to release Shikamaru. He stood up shakily and gave me a quick lazy smirk.

"I guess you know me better than I thought. Very clever."

That comment stole my attention more than it should have. It seemed more flattering coming from Shikamaru. It almost made me want to blush but now was not the time.

We immediately descended on Keiji, trying to land a few more blows on him before he regained his composure. Keiji definitely wasn't as powerful without all of his chakra. His fighting ability was sub-par. We were able to not only incapacitate him but also got him into Shikamaru's chair, where we tied him up. It would by us some time.

Shikamaru looked at me and started forming seals. He transformed into a Keiji look-a-like and grabbed me roughly. "Let's go."

**Shikamaru's POV**

I was surprised. He was able to trick the enemy, and get the jump on him. Maybe Neji wasn't just a fighter as he had thought. Regardless, we needed to get out of there as quickly as possible. The orb was hidden well and if they got back to the village, they could inform the Jounins were it was for them to handle it. I transformed into a Keiji clone and led Neji down the halls, glaring at any ninjas that looked at him while verbally assaulting Neji. We were almost home free when someone said the prisoners were escaping.

"Shit."

We both muttered that as he broke into a run, heading down the halls. We didn't have time to hunt the exit down. It was just luck at this point. Either we would find it or we wouldn't.

We ran and ran, turning down hallways only to find more halls to run. It was like this was a maze.

"You are surrounded. Give up."

Shit. He was right. They were surrounded. It was obvious that the ninja had an excellent grasp on how their base worked.

We had to fight. They wouldn't kill us. That was our only advantage. They had to hold back we didn't.

I slipped my hand into Neji's. I was about to say something but I was shocked. His hands were pretty soft. I know it's sad that my mind wandered only just a simple amount of contact but it was shocking. I shook my less than appropriate thoughts and leaned back, "We have to hold out and fight. They won't kill us for obvious reasons."

"Agreed."

That's it for that chapter. I already have an idea about what will happen next. As soon as I have another day off and such, I'll go ahead and write the next action-packed chapter. Hope you enjoyed it. I'd love to hear from you guys via reviews but just people reading it is good enough for me. Until next chapter.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

**Neji's POV**

This was not at all how I saw this mission playing out. This simple mission turned into a life or death situation in a matter of hours. I looked back at Shikamaru briefly. His expression was blank. He looked ready to fight…very unusual for Nara Shikamaru. I knew if Shikamaru was at the point where he was ready to fight then I should be just as ready or more so. I took a deep breath and everything seemed to slow down. Someone yelled attack and the ninjas collapsed on them. I was basically hitting anyone that didn't have a Konoha leaf on his head protector. I didn't see Shikamaru in the midst of the battle but I could hear him fighting with everything he was worth. Knowing that we were both fighting so hard, it…gave me a rush. Made me want to smile. This is what I really wanted. Just an intense battle with the odds stacked against me. We fought and fought for much longer than I expected us to make it when I heard Shikamaru. He didn't cry out…it was more of a grunt of frustration. I looked briefly to see that several of the ninjas had grabbed each of his limbs, while the other prepared to subdue him. I made it to him quickly enough to where I was able to kick that one ninja in the face before I was jumped as well for turning my back. I was dragged to the floor. Shit…it was really over now. I couldn't look at my partner but I felt his eyes on me. We failed…I failed.

**Shikamaru's POV**

So I had to fight. I didn't exactly want to. Fighting was so troublesome. This just wasn't one of those situations where I could be picky. I had to fight for two people now. I was fighting for my partner and me. When someone else is involved, I can't just give-up or avoid conflict. I fought. I fought hard. I was swinging in a blind rage basically. I didn't have time to really size up who I was attacking. It was basically knock them down and keep going. There was no time for any strategy and believe me…I thought about it as quickly as I could. That was when those bastards decided to get smart and wrap me up. Four of them got my legs and arms. It looked like it was lights out for me but Neji looked over. I didn't think I made any sounds but apparently I did because he moved that way and knocked the crap out of the guy with a well-placed kick. I watched as he was quickly jumped for helping me and turning his back. I watched as he was brought down to the ground. I watched as our hope for survival faded into nothing. I took a deep breath and turned my head away, preparing for the worst.

**Neji's POV**

I could only wait. I didn't know what it was I was waiting for…but that was all I could do. I kept my eyes focused on the floor as I heard some commotion then I heard footsteps heading toward Shikamaru. I heard another noise then I heard a loud thud as if someone hit the floor. I frowned. They got Shikamaru. Now it was my turn. I waited for them to end it all and recapture me but I was only greeted by the sound of hard punches sending people into walls. I managed to look up. "Gai-sensei!" I managed to say as I saw that familiar green suit. He was handling each and every one of those guys with ease. I was in awe just watching it. He kicked the guys that were on me off, "Neji, get Shikamaru and get back as fast as you can. You boys have completed your mission, I'll clean things up from here." Not asking any questions, I ran over to Shikamaru and scooped him up in my arms. I stopped, unsure which way he was supposed to go. Gai pointed to a hallway and Neji took off. As much as he was concerned about getting out of there, his eyes seemed to examine Shikamaru's face whenever he got the chance. The teen had such a peaceful expression on his face. Once I was out of the base, it seemed like I was back in Konoha in no time. I took Shikamaru straight to my place. He didn't need to be in the hospital or at home for that matter. I shook him a bit and got no response. I laid him down on my bed and put a moist cloth on his forehead. Shikamaru would wake up on his own when he was ready. Ready just took far too long. I sat by his bed and just looked at him. For some reason, Keiji's voice came to my head. …He must be more than a partner. Neji leaned forward and rubbed the back of his hand across Shikamaru's cheek. The skin was much softer than he imagined it would be. I frowned…when did I imagine how Shikamaru's skin would feel. Still standing close by Shikamaru, I looked him over. Every detail of his face, I was examining. My eyes came to rest on his lips. I couldn't help it. I placed two fingers on them. They were soft as well. From the warm air touching my fingers, I knew his lips were parted a bit as well. They were fairly thin as well. Finally I moved my fingers and stared. I leaned down. What was I doing? I wasn't that curious. I leaned down further. Why am I still thinking about this? My lips brushed against his and…"..Neji?" I jumped back like I had been struck by lightning. I hadn't been paying attention to his condition whatsoever. I tried to gather myself as he looked at me questioningly. "Was I not breathing?" Shikamaru asked, leaning his head to the side. That sounded like a good lie so I went with it. I nodded my head and he seemed to accept that answer. He lay back down on the pillow and tried to relax. "How did we get back?" he finally asked. "Gai-sensei found us and fought everyone off." I said taking my seat back at his bed. He seemed content with my answer because neither of us said anything and I'm pretty sure he went to sleep.

**Shikamaru's POV**

I woke up. I was in a bed and I thought the worst. The last thing I remember was being captured so I thought I was on some kind of torture device. Finally, I peeked one eye open and saw Neji standing over me. He was just staring at me…at…my lips? He put his fingers on them, which surprised me but I didn't move. Finally he removed them and then started to lean down. I wasn't sure what he was planning to do until he kept going. I closed my eyes again and felt the warmth of Neji's lips against my own. The contact was so gentle that I don't know if I even believe it happened. That was when I whispered his name. He jumped back and had the guiltiest look on his face. One would have thought he had a knife in his hand or something from his expression. I felt so bad that I gave him a way out of this awkward situation even though I really wanted to know what just happened. I lay back after he answered my questions and thought about it. It seemed to consume my thoughts. What had happened and why? I couldn't figure it out. Why would Hyuuga Neji, of all people, want to kiss me? It didn't make sense. I mean…he could pretty much get any of the girls he wanted and if he wanted a guy…there were better guys than me. It just didn't make sense. I settled for sleep. Maybe I would dream up my answer or something. Atleast I could ask him a few things later on when I could actually move. He might even talk to me about it first because it would be pretty troublesome to bring it up.

Sorry it took so long. I think stuff just plans on happening whenever I plan on writing the next chapter. I think that's what it is. Anyways, tell me what you think. I enjoyed writing this one. Nothing better than putting people in a very awkward situation. Oh...and...here comes a shameless plug. If anyone likes rping or anything like that, how about joining or checking out my favorite place. It's an MSN group that is dedicated to yaoi rping. It's under schoolboysIIayaoirpg. I know I can't put the website but it's not hard to find I don't think. If you really want to see it...email me and I'll email it to you or something. We have plenty of threads and stuff to read if anyone needs some more reading material and you can even get involved. Anyways, enjoy!


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

**Neji's POV**

I thought going to bed would be a good idea. He goes straight to sleep even with what just happened, fresh on his mind. We could have died and I almost…well that wasn't important.

How did he manage it?

I laid in bed for what seemed like hours, reliving that same moment of him in bed and me kissing him. I wanted more. I don't know why, but I did. That small contact didn't answer my questions and I needed answers I suppose.

My mind never went to the mission. The mission where we almost died. Only on the feel of Shikamaru's skin or the outline of his body under that thin sheet. This had to stop.

I was up early the next morning as usual. We had to present our findings to the Hokage.

He didn't know what to expect exactly from this meeting. He had never done a mission so important that a meeting with the Hokage was necessary.

Nevertheless, Shikamaru and I had a meeting scheduled later on that morning. I could already tell it would be hell to even get Shikamaru out of the bed. Instead of going ahead and waking up Shikamaru, I did everything I possibly could do to avoid going anywhere near where Shikamaru was sleeping. I took a shower, did chores, ate. Anything to keep him from Shikamaru's room. I even considered sending in a servant to wake Shikamaru up. But I decided against it however.

I eventually willed myself to go to his room. I was lying there, obviously in only his boxers because I could see his bare skin that wasn't covered by the sheet and I could see the waistband of boxers against the sheet…not that I was looking that low. I could really make out the overlook of his body with that sheet across him. Maybe Shikamaru worked out more than he let on. Finally, I made my way over to him and shook him gently. "Wake up. We have to leave soon. We have a meeting with the Hokage. Get up, take your shower, and eat right now." I somewhat commanded. He didn't respond too well to that. He rolled over and groaned before he finally moved. "I have you a towel and everything right here." I put the things on the bed. "I'll be in the kitchen when you are finished." With that, I left immediately before he had a chance to reply.

**Shikamaru's POV**

I knew we had a meeting with the Hokage today. And I knew the meeting was going to be early. I didn't get the reputation of being lazy by actually getting up on time when I had to. This time would be no exception. I woke up on time actually but I didn't move. I thought Neji or someone would come in and tell me I had to get up. Then I would.

I heard his footsteps but they never came to me. He was avoiding me. Either he's shaken up about the mission or he's embarrassed about after the mission. Either way, more rest for the weary. Finally, Neji appeared in the room. He felt those hands on his bare shoulders. Surprisingly soft actually, then again…he was a Hyuuga and they were pampered.

I 'woke up' and looked at him as he spit out a list of commands. That wasn't something I wanted to hear so I turned over for a moment. He said a few more things and was gone so fast, I had to think back to make sure it even happened. A few more moments of being lazy and I was on my way out the door and over to the bathroom to shower. After finishing up everything, I headed to the kitchen where Neji was waiting for me. For anyone else, this probably would have been awkward. Neji decided to eat in silence, his only words were to greet Shikamaru as he entered the room. I didn't have a problem with eating in silence. I did it a lot actually, people just didn't usually let it stay silent.

After that painful breakfast, We made our way to our meeting. I hoped Neji would take it upon himself to do the talking. I didn't feel like it at all. We were directed in with ease and were soon standing before the Fifth with Gai on the side. Thankfully, Neji gave, in detail, what happened to them during the mission while I kind of stood there, looking around the room. I'm sure Tsunade wasn't too appreciative of such actions by a Chuunin of all people.

"Do you agree with Neji's report, Shikamaru?"

That got my attention. I looked up and saw I was getting the coldest stare Tsunade could manage. I sighed dramatically, "Eh?...Yeah. It's accurate." I said very nonchalantly. Too nonchalantly I suppose because I could hear Tsunade crack her knuckles from here. So troublesome.

"I have another mission for you two. Your work together seemed efficient enough even in a very dire situation."

**Neji's POV**

We walked out of Tsunade's office with the information about our new mission. Shikamaru wasn't too happy about it. I couldn't blame him. I wasn't too happy about it either. "It's just a recovery mission. Simple mission." I said. Shikamaru didn't exactly agree, he just gave me a look or something. His bored, uncaring expression. I asked him if he wanted to stay with me instead of going home since his dad might need a punching bag that night but he denied. The mission would start tomorrow.

Ninja. Jounins. Several of them. Shikamaru and I watched them silently from a bush nearby. He grabbed him, gesturing that he stay quiet. He made a face the pushed me away roughly. He jumped back himself. A kunai his the tree near our position and an explosion occurred. Plenty enough of an explosion to take us out. So there was no cover. We immediately grouped together and made a dash away from our position. We couldn't take them. That much was obvious. We fled as quickly as possible, setting traps along the way as quickly as possible. It didn't help.

I could see they were still advancing on us. It wouldn't be long. In the one second that I blinked, Shikamaru was tackled, seemingly out of nowhere by one of them. I couldn't run. I couldn't leave Shikamaru even if we agreed upon such a thing in that circumstance. I turned back. I headed for him. My attention was totally on his attacker and not on the guy that struck me in the face with a flying kick. I never saw him. He was moving so fast and I was so focused. I flew into a tree, colliding with a thud.

…It felt like something broke. My body was numb. I looked up at Shikamaru, into his eyes. He looked concerned…for me. A few of the jounin loomed over me, saying something that I couldn't make out. I was almost unconscious at that point. All I know is that they decided on kicking me while I was down. I felt fire on my ribs, back…everywhere from them kicking me. It was terrible. Shikamaru looked away, seeming almost in tears. I wanted to think about why he was acting that way but the pain held my attention elsewhere. My vision started to blur and I knew it was all over from there. In my last effort, I reached out to Shikamaru, only to have my hand stomped. My head dropped to the ground. Darkness.

**Shikamaru's POV**

I don't know what's wrong with him. I can't wake him up. On our way to begin the mission, we got caught in someone's illusion. After walking in circles for a while, we were ambushed. Enemies all-around us. We knew it was an illusion at that point but there wasn't anything we could truly do. I was about to surrender due to the sheer bleakness of the situation but Neji had other plans I suppose. He stepped in front of me and attacked. They did something to him and he's been in this unconscious state for hours. They threw us in a cell together…probably to use us for information then dispose of us. That's my guess at least. Maybe use us against the others since this mission was being approached from different angles. I don't know.

I've done everything to wake him up. I shook him, slapped his face, and even waited to see if he'd just wake up. Nothing. What's creepy is his eyes are open. It's like he's dreaming. It's not a good dream. He has the pained look on his face. His muscles clenched often as if he were getting hurt.

"Neji. It's ok. Calm down. Grrr…this is so troublesome. Neji, wake up." I said, trying to get some kind of response out of him. He made some kind of a whimper then stopped moving. I jumped in fear and checked his vital signs. What the hell was going on? What the fuck did they do to him? His vitals were good, his breathing was even…but I still couldn't get him to respond to me. I laid his head in my lap to at least get his head off of the cell floor since it was very damp to the touch and held a very peculiar smell that made me want to vomit. I'm sure he didn't want that in his hair. I leaned against a wall with his head in my lap and started to doze off. I did until I heard footsteps nearing our cell. And talking.

"We captured two of them. Even got to test our little concoction on one of them."

"HA! Very good. You say they are from Konoha? Very good indeed. They are obviously sending men our way. We have two little bargaining tools just in case now."

"Bring one of them to me. I want to speak with one of our little ninjas."

I was not happy to hear that. Those bastards. I pretended to be asleep as the man entered the cell. I knew I couldn't really attack and get anywhere by myself. Neji was obviously the better fighter.

"Come on, kid. Wake up. Put your little girlfriend down and come with me."

What a bastard. I hated him already. I opened my eyes to glare at him, making no move to get up and go with him. He didn't appreciate that much.

He grabbed me by the throat and hoisted me up, allowing Neji's head to fall against the floor with a small thud. He held me against that damp wall. I could really seem him from the darkness of the cell but I could smell him. His breath smelled of old cottage cheese and his body odor was similar to dirty clothes in a hot room. I frowned in response to the smell.

"Now come on. You can't defend yourself so don't bother."

I really wanted to spit on him right then. I was so close to doing it but I knew just how much trouble that would get me into. Way too troublesome for my tastes. I, instead, played along. He pulled me out of the cell, where I got on last look at Neji's motionless body before I was walking down a long dark hall where the light flickered randomly, giving the walk a very eerie feel. That definitely increased my heartrate that much more. I knew I could die at any moment now. I would never see anyone from Konoha again. I'd never see Neji again…Neji?

No. I'm not dead. I thought all this work I have for school would have killed me but somehow I survived long enough to make it through another chapter. I tried to make this somewhat long at least. I do care. I know the beginning is really slow but I tried to throw in some twists to keep you somewhat interested. I'll try to get something to you guys a little earlier next time. Hope you didn't go kill yourselves without me. Hope you enjoy!


	10. Chapter 10

From out of the ashes! ENJOY!

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**Shikamaru's POV**

I walked down the hallway, my thoughts on how they would try to kill me. A sneak attack maybe? Torture? Morbid…yes…but I had to think about something. The hallway finally came to an end, revealing a filthy door painted the same puke color as the hallway. I was led in and just as I stepped in...I got the reaction I had been thinking about. I found myself pinned to a nearby wall. One set of hands pinned my shoulders, another my legs, and the last one was very efficiently pounded my face in. I caught a few blows to the face, bloodying my nose, and another set of punches knocked the wind out of me with some well-placed punches to the stomach.

I looked up at the light from my seat. I was tied up to a chair, looking at the men who captured me. Well, I couldn't really see them really. The light was making it hard to truly make out what they looked like.

"Tell me, Konoha ninja. What was your mission?"

"….."

"Just as I expected…"

I felt the cool metal of a kunai against my neck and I knew what was coming next.

"Tell me or I'll be forced to kill you."

"…."

My denial must have impressed him cause there was an awkward pause then a pant on my back. "Very loyal, young nin."

That's when everything changed. I saw their trump card. Long black hair came into view…I knew that hair…Neji. They were using Neji.

"Now. Consider this. Unless you give me the details of your mission, I will kill you and him. Are you willing to put both of your lives in danger? It's obvious that you care for him…care for him deeper than a partner."

I could almost hear the smirk on his face. He had me. I felt the heat rise up to my face.

"Tell me!"

I couldn't hold it. One tear rolled down my face, followed by another…and another.

"NEJI! FORGIVE ME! I CAN'T! NEJI! I LOVE YOU! I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT! IF YOU CAN HEAR ME, I LOVE YOU, HYUUGA NEJI!"

I don't know if he heard me. I don't even know if I got all those words out. It seemed like I instantly felt the coolness of the kunai run across my throat and I watched as the same action happened to Neji. I was going to die…right here…and I would never hear Neji tell me if he felt the same way…

**Neji's POV**

I opened my eyes. I thought the darkness had me, but I had some fight left in me. I opened my eyes and silently watched the scene before me. They obviously concluded I was dead. Shikamaru was being carried away by some ninja I didn't recognize. I wanted to attack them. I wanted to do something. They were carrying away my Shikamaru? I desperately reached out to him and with my last bit of energy, I called out to him. I called his name as loud as I could manage. Damn the consequences. They could kill me if need be.

They definitely heard me. The one carrying Shikamaru stopped and just like that, a foot was on my back. I struggled as much as my injuries would allow but it didn't really phaze them. I didn't care what they did…my eyes were on Shikamaru. Even when I felt that foot move up to my head, my eyes never wavered. "NARA SHIKAMARU! DON"T LEAVE ME! I WANT YOU TO STAY WITH ME!"

It took every bit of my energy to say those words, but I felt at ease. The man still walked away with Shikamaru as if I never said anything. The foot left my head. Just when I thought I would be left with my thoughts, the foot came down with tremendous force on its previous resting place.

**THIRD PERSON**

Shikamaru sat up abruptly in his hospital bed, calling out Neji's name in panic. He was panting heavily and a soft sheen of sweat covered his forehead. The nurse ran into the room, trying to calm the nin.

Just then, the same situation happened with Neji. He sat up, calling out for Shikamaru. Neji's eyes met Shikamaru's and it seemed like they hadn't seen each other for years.

They both looked to the nurse for an explanation. The nurse recognized the look and sighed, "You both were brought in, suffering from the effects of a powerful illusion jutsu. Apparently you seemed all right but before presenting to the Hokage, you both passed out. Now go back to sleep. You both need your rest." She commanded, exiting the room, closing the door behind her.

Both nin looked at each other, a relieved look on their faces. They didn't need to say anything. Their faces said it all. Neji broke the silence, "This will never work. No one will accept this and the Hokage will not let us continue with our partnership."

Shikamaru nodded, "You're probably right…"

Silence settled into the room once again as they stared at one another.

Lips met in a ill-planned kiss, two sets of eyes staring at eachother. They broke the kiss, "I guess we'll just have to keep this between us." Neji whispered, smirking. Shikamaru returned the smirk, "I supposed I could manage a silent partnership…no matter how troublesome it is."

**END**

Yeah…no one died. I just couldn't kill either of them. I hope you guys enjoyed the story. Sorry for take a hot damn year to update. I know it wasn't worth the wait….but atleast it's something. REVIEW! I'm quite open to suggestions.


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